The essay tag has no wiki summary.
7
votes
4answers
814 views
Common words to avoid when writing formally
I am rather useless at writing formal English and sometimes find that I can come across informal with my choice of words. So I wondered what common words and phrases should be avoided when writing an ...
6
votes
2answers
132 views
What is this writing standard called, and where can I look up the exact details?
My English instructor said that he wants us to submit a heading and a header on our essays, taking the following form.
The first page only should have our name, his name, the date, the subject (not ...
6
votes
4answers
303 views
Which goes first: summary, background or justification?
I am trying to write a long expository piece and cannot figure out which information should come first. Here are three candidates:
A summary/abstract lists the main points, without necessarily ...
5
votes
2answers
523 views
Tense of Literary Essay
When writing a literary essay in English what tense should be used:
Past as in:
Gatsby’s parties were ostentatious and exquisite
Or present as in:
Gatsby’s parties are ostentatious and ...
4
votes
5answers
410 views
Paragraph flow, verb inversion and last sentence tone
The paragraph below is a conclusion for an essay. I have three problems with the paragraph that I would like to review with you.
This experience showed me that ignoring an interpersonal conflict ...
4
votes
3answers
208 views
How often to cite sources?
I'm writing a 3700-word essay, consisting of two case studies and some explanatory material.
I'll be referencing a number of documents as sources for the case studies.
There will be a full list of ...
4
votes
5answers
285 views
How can I make a collection of essays / arguments more attractive to publishers?
I've written several essays and am still working on some that I would like to eventually get published.
The issues I cover are on a wide range of topics ranging from Scientology to Piracy to ...
4
votes
2answers
71 views
Knowing When To Cite?
In my essay (specifically a recount essay of a moment in the past), my objective is to end with the discussion of Death as a being (because my recounted moment will be related to death). I'd like to ...
3
votes
2answers
612 views
On writing an essay, what are some good techniques to teach to schoolchildren?
I am currently teaching the way to write an essay as this:
Step 1, write the topic sentence of the whole essay. Then, in the following first paragraph, develop the ideas that you are going to ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
Adding dementia to writing
I am wondering if it is a good idea to include a sense of dementia in my writing. For example, it's a personal narrative where the character is traumatized for a paragraph. I feel like a good way to ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
Critique a short essay
So There I was in the scorching, afternoon, summer heat of Cairo. It was a huge change from the UK’s mild weather, and together with the fact that I had been fasting - as in no food or drink- for ...
3
votes
1answer
187 views
How Important are essay writing conventions in the university level and above?
I go to a CEGEP, which is basically pre-university in Montreal. In my Introduction to English class, I had a teacher who allowed us to go around the typical essay writing conventions. Conventions like ...
2
votes
3answers
247 views
Please help me polish this paragraph.
I'm learning English as a foreign language. In one of my writings, one paragraph goes:
But it's not saying we just indulge ourselves and turn into wild beasts. We train our brain hard so that we ...
2
votes
2answers
167 views
Correct format when talking about money $$
I'm writing a formal research paper (Highschool)
I have lots of statistics involving money (In fact, my whole essay is about the economy).
So a question arises about the format of writing money.
...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
When is it correct to capitalize terms/phrases in a personal statement?
I'm writing a personal statement for graduate admissions, and I've a query regarding the use of capitalization in the midst of sentences. For example, is it correct/expected to capitalize the names of ...
2
votes
1answer
636 views
Characteristics of an “example” in essay writing
Example: an item of information that is typical of a class or group;
"this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is
an example on page 10" (Google)
Maybe I haven't ...
2
votes
5answers
1k views
Should I write an abstract for a formal essay?
Should I write an abstract for a formal essay? I've heard from different sources that I should, although my instructor didn't specify.
And if I should, where are some resources that I could use to ...
2
votes
2answers
157 views
Critique of short essay
Basically I need some critics regarding the following points:
Does this description essay archive its goal (a creepy story with a 'sappy' ending)?
How is the 'rhythm' of the story (is there ...
2
votes
1answer
132 views
Can you change a punctuation mark when referencing a passage from a text?
I'm writing an essay for the play Waiting for Godot, and there is a passage I want to use:
ESTRAGON: (very insidious). But what about Saturday? And is it Saturday? Is it not rather Sunday? ...
2
votes
1answer
255 views
Is this a sound outline for an essay on “Comparing a Song's Lyrics to Society”?
Very broadly, consider the topic of an essay being: "Compare a popular culture song's lyrics to society."
I have chose the song "Right Now" by Fort Minor to write this essay on. To give you an idea ...
2
votes
1answer
200 views
Essay writing contests
I can't seem to find any essay contests out there. Is there a list of essay contests somewhere? Does anyone have suggestions for contests?
2
votes
2answers
92 views
Essay critique: flow and how compelling it is
I dragged myself sluggishly out of bed and instinctively reached for my phone, then I remembered: there was no cell coverage or wifi.
I wasn’t used to waking up this early. I didn’t think ...
2
votes
1answer
375 views
MLA formatting for multiple in-text citations of the same soure
I am writing an essay and must use MLA formatting. I can format the MLA formatting for the speech on the works cited page but I do not know how to form my in-text citations. The whole speech is done ...
1
vote
2answers
238 views
Is my essay on group learning clear and well-organized?
I'm looking for all-around advice on this essay (I'm a foreign student, and learning English), but primarily, I wanted to ask is whether my essay is well-organized and clear enough. I mean, the first ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
Is it ok to begin an essay/report with a quote?
I am writing an essay on project management within IT and in my introduction I will give a brief description of project management, to being my essay I was looking at using one of these:
...
1
vote
2answers
270 views
Does this essay demonstrate flow, clarity, and passion?
I am applying to school and, after 3-4 weeks of thinking and writing essay iterations, I ended up with the essay below.
What are your professional objectives? (300 words)
I have one ...
1
vote
3answers
4k views
Citing multiple quotes from a single novel
I'm writing a analytical essay (for school) about a novel. I need to cite some quotes (for support), that comes from that novel.
I know that the MLA style citation goes as follows:
"Quote goes here" ...
1
vote
4answers
135 views
Unsure of how to interpret this prompt
I'm practicing some essay writing and I've come across a few prompts that are like this one:
In any field—business, politics, education, government—those in power should be required to step down ...
1
vote
1answer
278 views
Quoting Films in an essay using MLA
I am trying to quote a film (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) in an MLA format essay, and I am not quite sure how to go about it. I have figured out how to cite it (both in the essay and in a Works ...
1
vote
0answers
49 views
Is it ok to begin an essay/report with a quote? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it ok to begin an essay/report with a quote?
I am writing an essay on project management within IT and in my introduction I will give a brief description of project ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
Referencing a Play in an MLA paper
I've gone through several different resources that appeared in the Google search bar when I asked this question, but the sources give different answers to this question:
When referencing a play ...
0
votes
2answers
106 views
Text referencing protected, trademarked™ and copyrighted© names, what is the correct procedure?
When writing an academic essay, if I was to reference Microsoft or Facebook, should I write Microsoft™, Microsoft® or just Microsoft? What is the difference?
0
votes
2answers
38 views
Is the statement readable [closed]
This is not a proof reading request, I would just like to know whether the statements are readable or at least correct in structure before I would submit it.
"Prescriptions hold no metaphysical ...
0
votes
1answer
133 views
How to focus a “Final Exam Essay”
I have an Psych professor who likes to give essays instead of exams. His final exam is an essay that is supposed to encompass all we learned this semester. He gave us a checklist of what it should ...
0
votes
2answers
57 views
Should I state my intentions/outline my structure at the beginning of an academic essay?
When writing an essay or short paper for school, should I state my intentions and outline the essay's structure in the introduction? Or should I let the essay speak for itself?
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Requesting A Writing Critique, Hopefully More Focused
In light of the questions I've been asking here and the questions I've had about my writing, I thought of a good candidate to try and be more specific about. This is a small paper I had to write for ...
0
votes
1answer
225 views
How can I make this essay more succinct?
I just finished re-re-reviewing an essay for an application to school. The essay seems to be flowing nicely, but as always I feel it is not succinct or crisp enough.
I do not want this to be a ...
0
votes
1answer
147 views
How to further improve the flow and crispness in the essay?
I am writing an essay in which I used a simple chronological flow. Setting first the background, then the circumstances I was involved in and the decision I took, and finally my conclusion after the ...
-1
votes
1answer
39 views
Can you cite an article to your bibliography? If yes, what is the format?
I have written a 60 page essay. However most of my references are articles. How can I include this in the bibliography?
-1
votes
1answer
153 views
What is a basic structure for writing an essay on the SAT or for an AP exam?
Most prompted essays for the SAT or an advanced placement writing class can be written using a similar basic structure. An example of an introduction for a persuasive prompted essay might be:
...
-1
votes
1answer
113 views
Is this essay title critical?
I'm currently writing a critical essay, arguing individualism, narcissism and collectivism within an online society.
However I feel that the title I've come of up with for this essay just isn't ...
-4
votes
1answer
146 views
How do I imitate the simplicity of a typical student's writing? [closed]
Recently, I joined a team of writers who write for students. We're an essay mill. Mind you, I've been doing this since 2005, and I've learned to "dumb down" my writing for the incompetent bunch of ...
